


The Caduceus Effect

by dracoqueen22



Series: Close to Home [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Around episode 47, Campaign 2 (Critical Role), ClayLeb Week 2019, Fluff, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-21 13:17:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21300071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracoqueen22/pseuds/dracoqueen22
Summary: Caleb didn’t know how he did it, but there was something calming about proximity to Caduceus Clay.
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Caleb Widogast
Series: Close to Home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1535528
Comments: 4
Kudos: 98





	The Caduceus Effect

**Author's Note:**

> For clayleb week 2019, prompt Day One, First Meeting/Early Days

Caleb didn't know what Jester and Nott were up to, and frankly, he assumed he was better off not knowing. The two of them were chattering and giggling over Nott's alchemic materials, and it alarmed him, but only half as much as it irritated him.  
  
Peace and quiet were not to be found in his quarters.  
  
He went elsewhere, seeking a calm spot on the ship to work on his spellbook (and his other book) without being disturbed. The Balleater, however, was small for all that it was a ship. There were few places a man could find solitude.  
  
He tried the hold, but the lingering odor of Twiggy's week-long residence made his head spin. The deck was far too windy and noisy. Fjord was sleeping in his quarters after a night spent on watch, and that would not be conducive to studying either.  
  
Caleb found himself in the galley, drawn in part by the smells floating out of the open doorway, and by the realization Caduceus was inside, no doubt preparing their evening meal or one of the snacks he was known to produce, seemingly out of nowhere.  
  
He peeked into the galley, but couldn't see anyone other than their firbolg friend. Beau was not here trying to nick a bottle of liquor. There was no member of their crew chattering Caduceus' ear off. It was warm and inviting, and Caleb hovered in the doorway, books and paper tucked under his arm.  
  
Caduceus stood at the counter, chopping something, humming under his breath, tail a lazy sway behind him. He seemed perfectly at ease, and Caleb envied his ability to find calm no matter the storm.  
  
"You can come in, if you want. I don't mind company," Caduceus called out, though he hadn't glanced over his shoulder.  
  
Sometimes, Caleb agreed with Fjord. Caduceus' seemingly preternatural perception was a little off-putting.  
  
"I, uh, was looking for somewhere quiet to work," Caleb said as he stepped inside, casting around for a place to sit and finding a small table tucked off to the side, with just enough room for one. "If you don't mind my intrusion."  
  
Caduceus turned and gave him a lazy smile. "Hello, Mr. Caleb. No, I don't mind at all. Have a seat. My humming won't be a bother, will it?"  
  
Caleb slid into the chair and set his items on the table. "No. It is certainly preferable to Nott and Jester's chattering."  
  
"They are up to something," Caduceus said with a little laugh. "Perhaps something that will entertain all of us." He turned back toward his work, the steady sound of the knife slicking through some vegetable echoing through the galley.  
  
Caleb found it soothing.  
  
"We can only hope," Caleb said, and lapsed into silence. He opened his spellbook, procured his quill, and got to work.  
  
It was easy with Caduceus. There was no expectation of conversation. There was no subtle prying into his past or his present or his future. Caduceus might eye him, might peer at him as though trying to read him, but would never ask and would never presume. Caduceus took everything at its own pace, and that was quite refreshing.  
  
It helped that Caduceus seemed to emit a kind of peaceful aura. It soaked into Caleb, easing the tension gathering around him like a heavy cloak, and gradually seeping away the densest layers.  
  
"Just let me know if I'm a bother, I'll leave," Caleb said after a bit. He didn't want to wear out his welcome.  
  
Caduceus chuckled and appeared in Caleb's periphery with a cup and a small plate. "Not at all, Mr. Caleb. You're pleasant company." He set both by Caleb's left elbow. "Here. You have to keep up your energy if you want to stay focused."  
  
"I suppose now is a good time for a break." Caleb leaned back, bones in his spine popping as he did so. He winced.  
  
"You ought to stretch more," Caduceus observed.  
  
"I'm sure there are many things I ought to do more." Caleb offered Caduceus a thin smile and reached for the cup, inhaling the light fragrance. Hints of chamomile for certain, and anise? Ginger? All good things. "This is good. Thank you."  
  
Caduceus' smile was a thing of radiance, genuine all the way down to his heart. "Try the cookies. I made them with some of that fruit we picked up on Bisaft."  
  
Caleb picked up a cookie, gave it a careful sniff, before biting into it. Crumbs immediately erupted around his lips, while the cookie itself managed to both crunch and melt on his tongue. It had a tangy flavor to it, not overly sweet, and went quite well with the tea.  
  
His eyebrows crawled upward. “Very good,” Caleb said around a mouthful of crumbling cookie. He dabbed at his lips where crumbs kept emerging. “You’ve a talent for these. I’m glad I was able to taste them before Jester discovered they were here.”  
  
Caduceus chuckled and turned back toward his cooking, his tail lazily swaying behind him, swish-swish-swish. “I made a separate batch just for her. They’re sweeter.”  
  
“That was very astute of you.”  
  
“Well, sometimes I have good ideas,” Caduceus said over his shoulder. He picked up his cutting board and shifted over, scraping the chopped vegetables into a big pot.  
  
Caleb tilted his head. “More often than not, I’d say.” He sipped the tea, rolling the flavor over his tongue to enjoy it. “You have a… a presence about you, Mr. Clay. I know we all appreciate it.”  
  
Caduceus hummed and stirred the soup before placing the lid on it. “I don’t know about a presence, but it’s nice to know I’ve been of use.” He paused and tilted his head, tapping his bottom lip. “Though maybe ‘use’ isn’t the best word? Helpful maybe?”  
  
“Helpful is a good word, but you know, you are also our friend. We would return the favor,” Caleb said as he watched Caduceus pull a bowl from a high shelf and turn it out onto a floured counter.  
  
Long fingers kneaded a lump of dough, and Caleb watched for a few moments, as there was something hypnotic about the motion.  
  
“I know. Maybe once I figure out what it is I’m looking for, then I’ll know what to ask for,” Caduceus said, his shoulders flexing as he rolled and kneaded and punched the dough into a vaguely loaf-shape.  
  
“As soon as you do, I’m sure we will be ready to listen,” Caleb said as Caduceus scooped the dough back into the bowl and covered it with a cloth.  
  
Up onto the shelf it went, and Caduceus wiped his hands on the front of his apron, already liberally streaked with flour and other evidence of meal-prep. Caleb wasn’t sure where he’d gotten the apron, perhaps he’d brought it from home, but it suited Caduceus in a way he didn’t think it would suit anyone else in the Mighty Nein.  
  
There was something about Caduceus that felt like home, though Caleb couldn’t put into words why or precisely identify the reason.  
  
He ate another cookie, rolling the flavor around on his tongue as he contemplated. It was warm in the galley, probably because of the cooking fires and the lack of ventilation. The smell of damp and sea air wasn’t present, only that of Caduceus’ spices and the ever-present scent of earth Caduceus seemed to carry with him.  
  
It would be, Caleb thought, the perfect place for a nap. Not that he’d come here for such. He was supposed to be working on his spells.  
  
Caduceus started humming again. Caleb only recognized the tune because Caduceus hummed it often, usually when he was concentrating on something and didn’t realize he was humming. Sometimes, Caleb woke when Caduceus was on watch, and the firbolg was surveying their surroundings, hands on his knees while he sat lotus, humming under his breath.  
  
He never had nightmares those nights. Caduceus would probably say it was because Melora watched over his sleep.  
  
Caleb preferred to think of it as the ‘Caduceus Effect’.  
  
He finished his cookies. He finished his tea. He picked up his quill and worked and worked, only dimly registering when Caduceus took down the dough again, worked it with his hands, and this time, folded it onto a metal pan. Caleb watched him cut little slices into the top of it, and sprinkle it with some of his herbs before he slid it into the tiny oven, banking the flames with a few swirls of his fingers.  
  
“How’s that book, Mr. Clay?” Caleb asked because it felt a little too much like he was watching something he shouldn’t in that moment.  
  
“Hmm?” Caduceus asked as he looked away from the oven, his ears twitching in Caleb’s direction. “Oh. The book you gave me. Yes. That one.”  
  
He stood up, brushing his hair behind his ear. “I apologize, Mr. Caleb, I admit I haven’t gotten very far. I’m sure it’s a very interesting book, only I’m not the best reader.”  
  
“Oh.” Caleb sat up, realization tumbling through him. “I didn’t realize. I suppose I should have known better than to assume.”  
  
“It’s all right.” Caduceus swept up the kettle and brought it over, refilling Caleb’s cup with steaming water. “I’m not ashamed of it, I suppose. Never had reason to be.” He dug into his pocket, pulled out a packet of leaves, and sprinkled them over the water. “It was still a nice gift.”  
  
Caleb felt a bit ashamed of himself. Caduceus was so kind to them, and he worked hard to keep them alive and well, despite being such a stranger at first. He’d thought to offer the book as a kind gesture, and it had backfired.  
  
How had Caduceus felt, receiving a gift he couldn’t appreciate because Caleb had been too narrow-sighted to pay attention?  
  
“Does it bother you now?” Caleb asked.  
  
“Not particularly,” Caduceus said, only to pause and tilt his head, looking up toward the ceiling as he often did when he was reconsidering something they’d asked him. “Well, maybe a little. Only because I’d like to actually understand the book you gave me. I feel like it’s a waste to give me something so nice.”  
  
Caleb shook his head. “No, not a waste. It’s my fault really. I should have been paying better attention.” He curled his fingers around the cup, embracing the heat of the blooming tea through the hand-carved wood. “You know, I could… help you with it, if… if that was something you were interested in.”  
  
“Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly take up so much of your time,” Caduceus said, turning to hang the kettle back on the hook. He moved to the pot next, removing the lid to give the contents a quick stir. “You have more important things to do than try and fill this head with knowledge.” He tapped himself in the head, and though his words were light, there was something of self-deprecation in them.  
  
It was slight, very, very slight, and Caleb might not have recognized it, if he wasn’t so used to hearing the tone in his own words.  
  
“It’s no trouble at all,” Caleb said. “If you’re interested, I’d be happy to teach you.” He paused and gestured around them. “Fast as we are, it will take time before we’re back in Nicodranas, and even then, travel takes time, yes? So we have it. Time, that is.”  
  
Caduceus replaced the lid and turned, blessing Caleb with one of his blinding smiles. “Then yes. I’d like that very much.” He pulled a basket from another shelf and tucked it under his arm. “Let me just deliver these cookies to the others. Keep an eye on the soup, will you?”  
  
Caleb eyed the pot uneasily. “I’m not much of a cook, Mr. Clay.”  
  
“Oh, nothing so complicated. Just if it bubbles over, lift the lid and give it a quick stir. It shouldn’t, but you never know. Sometimes, you just can’t take your eyes off things under pressure.” Caduceus patted Caleb on the shoulder, giving him a brief squeeze. “I’ll be right back.”  
  
“And then we can get started, if you have time to fill.”  
  
“Sure.” Caduceus’ rumbly voice seemed to radiate with the same heat as his presence. “So long as it’s no trouble.”  
  
“No trouble at all.” Caleb managed a smile of his own, though it was slight and nowhere near as appealing as Caduceus’ genuine grin.  
  
“Then I appreciate the help.” Caduceus hummed and swept out of the galley, though he left warmth and comfort in his wake.  
  
How did he do that, Caleb wondered, and summoned Frumpkin to rest in his lap. He scritched behind his familiar’s ear, pondering.  
  
Caduceus Clay was still very much a mystery to Caleb.  
  
Fortunately, Caleb was quite certain there wasn’t anything in the world he couldn’t solve with a pinch of determination, and a fair amount of study.  
  


****

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is very welcome and appreciated. I'd love to know what you all thought! :)


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